MMA News

BJ Penn Staff - April 22, 2025

Mateusz Gamrot will be back in the UFC Octagon soon. Poland’s Gamrot, a former champion in his home country’s popular KSW promotion, is the UFC’s No. 7-ranked lightweight. He was one of the top contenders for a crack at lightweight champion Islam Makhachev until an upset decision loss to Dan Hooker in his last fight. He has understandably been eager to get back on track ever since, and from the looks of it, he will soon have the opportunity.

BJ Penn Staff - April 22, 2025

Rising UFC welterweight contender Carlos Prates recently received some advice for his next fight from an interesting source: his own mother. Brazil’s Prates is one of the most hyped fighters in his division right now. This weekend, in the main event of the UFC’s return to Kansas City, Missouri, the Fighting Nerds product will take on Ireland’s Ian Machado Garry in a fight that will push the winner right up to title contention.

Cole Shelton - April 22, 2025

UFC analyst Chael Sonnen says Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall is a done deal and will be announced soon. Jones vs Aspinall is one of the biggest fights to make in the UFC, but there hasn’t been much talk on when or if it would happen. Some thought Jones would retire, and Aspinall would get promoted to undisputed champ. Yet, Sonnen claims the fight is agreed to and the date is locked in.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 22, 2025

A current UFC titleholder doesn’t want to see Ilia Topuria’s move to lightweight become a waste. Topuria recently vacated the UFC Featherweight Championship to move up to the 155-pound division. “La Leyenda” is seeking a shot at Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title. While the potential fight would be lucrative, Makhachev’s team argues that Topuria should have a No. 1 contender fight first.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 22, 2025

Ilia Topuria has a few fighters that he enjoys watching, but not all of them can get his seal of approval. The former UFC Featherweight Champion has big aspirations for his career. Topuria is moving up to the lightweight division in hopes of capturing another UFC title. While “La Leyenda” is known for being boastful, he does admit there are other elite fighters on the UFC roster who catch his attention with their fighting style.

Cole Shelton - April 22, 2025

The 194th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live to recap UFC 314 and preview OKTAGON 70. We’re first joined by 14th-ranked UFC featherweight Dan Ige (0:51). We close things out talking to OKATGON and former UFC middleweight Krzysztof Jotko (12:47).

Harry Kettle - April 22, 2025

UFC star Paddy Pimblett has spoken about his weight gain since his triumph over Michael Chandler at UFC 314. At UFC 314 earlier this month, Paddy Pimblett picked up the biggest win of his career. He defeated and dominated Michael Chandler in the co-main event of the evening, establishing himself as an elite contender in the lightweight division. In addition to that, ‘The Baddy’ also looked to be in incredible shape, and he towered above Chandler by the time fight night arrived.

Harry Kettle - April 22, 2025

Magomed Ankalaev has questioned Khalil Rountree Jr for his analysis of Alex Pereira’s main event performance at UFC 313. As we know, Magomed Ankalaev is the reigning, defending UFC light heavyweight champion. He was able to earn that title by defeating none other than Alex Pereira, one of the biggest stars in all of mixed martial arts. Ever since then, many have been wondering what’s next for both men – and the popular opinion is that they’re going to run it back at some point later this year.

Harry Kettle - April 22, 2025

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has revealed what he told Jon Jones’ publicist that left the UFC legend furious. If there’s one thing we know about Jon Jones, it’s that he’s a pretty controversial figure. Throughout the course of his career, he has said and done things that have rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. In equal measure, though, he’s also widely considered to be the greatest of all time in the world of mixed martial arts. So, as you can imagine, there are some mixed feelings about him within the community.

Cole Shelton - April 21, 2025

UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith understands that he has to fight a young up-and-comer in his retirement fight. Smith will retire at UFC Kansas City when he takes on Mingyang Zhang. Zhang is 2-0 in the UFC but has looked impressive in his two fights. For Smith’s retirement fight, it’s no layup fight or a big-name opponent, which ‘Lionheart’ understands. Smith knows the UFC is about getting the young guys over, which is what he thinks the UFC wants to happen here.

BJ Penn Staff - April 21, 2025

Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena is set to challenge Belal Muhammad for welterweight gold at UFC 315. If he successfully claims the title, he’s got his eyes on an even bigger challenge: Islam Makhachev. UFC 315 goes down on May 10 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Australia’s Della Maddalena is an underdog against the welterweight champion Muhammad, but is one of the better strikers in his division, and has the power to stop any welterweight he faces off with.

BJ Penn Staff - April 21, 2025

UFC veteran Anthony Smith is nearing the end of his lengthy MMA career. From the sounds of it, he already has some big plans for his life after fighting. For one, he aims to create a feeder league for Dana White’s controversial Power Slap promotion. Smith has been fighting professional since 2008. He made his UFC debut in 2013, but after a loss to Antonio Braga Neto, was released after just one fight. Three years later, after a seven-fight streak in smaller promotions, he was re-signed by the UFC. He’s been a member of the promotion’s roster ever since, and even competed against Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title in 2019, though he lost by decision.

BJ Penn Staff - April 21, 2025

UFC star Colby Covington has long had his eye on the WWE ring. If the reception he got at this weekend’s WrestleMania 41 event is any indication, he has already got the fans’ interest. In fact, they seem to hate him. Covington has been a staple of the UFC welterweight top-15 for years. He has fought three times for the division’s title. However, he came up short each time — twice against Kamaru Usman, and once against Leon Edwards. Despite his long-time relevance in the welterweight division, he has never made any secret of his hopes to perform in the WWE ring when his MMA career is over. After a decisive loss to Joaquin Buckley in his last fight, that time could be right around the corner.

BJ Penn Staff - April 21, 2025

Khamzat Chimaev has reacted to rumors of a UFC middleweight title eliminator with fellow contender Caio Borralho. Chimaev is undefeated at 14-0, and has long been considered one of the most imposing fighters in the UFC. He made his loudest statement yet in his most recent fight, choking out former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker inside a round.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 21, 2025

Islam Makhachev’s team hasn’t been too keen on a potential Ilia Topuria fight, and one highly ranked UFC lightweight thinks he knows why. Makhachev is the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion. Many have argued that he should already be on the move to the welterweight division, but Makhachev feels there’s still work to be done at lightweight. It appears he’d rather his next title defense be a rescheduling of the Arman Tsarukyan bout or Justin Gaethje rather than Topuria.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 21, 2025

Movsar Evloev has explained why he thinks Alexander Volkanovski’s style won’t work against him. Volkanovski recently added to his legacy by becoming a two-time UFC Featherweight Champion. He defeated Diego Lopes via unanimous decision to close out UFC 314 on April 12. Many believe that Evloev is the most deserving contender for the 145-pound gold.

Harry Kettle - April 21, 2025

Khalil Rountree Jr has given his thoughts on former foe Alex Pereira’s performance against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 last month. As we know, Alex Pereira is one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts. He was able to reach that point as a result of his incredible tenure in the UFC up to this point, which has seen him win world titles in two different weight classes. However, while he managed to win those championships, he also lost them both. His most recent defeat came to Magomed Ankalaev, who beat him to claim the light heavyweight belt.

Harry Kettle - April 21, 2025

UFC star Paddy Pimblett poked fun at Conor McGregor’s performance in Roadhouse when discussing a potential Hollywood future for himself. In the last few weeks, Paddy Pimblett has reached a new level of superstardom. After he was able to defeat Michael Chandler, ‘The Baddy’ has been the big name on everyone’s lips. Many are wondering what’s next for him in the wonderful world of mixed martial arts, with the popular opinion being that he is just one more big win away from a lightweight title shot.